OK, so let me start off by saying I may be just a tad bit biased here. I live about 30 seconds from the Katonah Village Library and absolutely love the place. (In fact, the only thing I asked my husband to get me for Christmas last year was one of the cute little green tote bags they were selling.)

But anyways, the fact remains that what happened last night in the basement of the renovated library was nothing short of magical. Yep, I’m going to go that far. Magical. I warned you guys to get out and see it, didn’t I? Don’t blame me if you let the rain keep you away!

Sure the library basement isn’t intrinsically as appealing as the sculpture garden of the Katonah Museum of Art, where the concert would have taken place if it weren’t for the rain, but still, the interconnected vibe that more than 200 people created in such a close space lent something special to the music.

And don’t just take my word for it.

Nigel Hall, keys and vocals, at one point took the time to comment on the positive energy he felt flowing between the crowd and the band. He said something to the effect that it was awesome playing to a crowd that was actually listening, and not just smoking, drinking, and talking over the notes. Amen to that, right?!

“The whole vibe here was really nice,” he said afterward. “I actually get more nervous playing to a small crowd like this. More nervous than even playing a place like Tiger Stadium.” (He recently played with Robert Randolph and the Family Band there, opening for Lynyrd Skynyrd. Not too shabby!)

Bringing the funk along with Hall were Adam Deitch on drums, Chris Loftlin on bass, and Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff on guitar. John Scofield, guitar legend and fellow Katonah resident who organizes the Shades of Jazz series, also joined the jam, sending the audience of friends and neighbors into an uproar.

Unfortunately Soulive guitarist Eric Krasno wasn’t able to make the performance as scheduled, since he unexpectedly got stuck in Pittsburgh. That was definitely too bad, because having seen Krasno for years now, I am more than confident that the crowd would have been blown away by his sweet jazz stylins. (Maybe we can take a rain check on that appearance, Eric? Katonah would love to have you! Have your people call my people. Oh wait… I don’t have people… Maybe call Sco? He’s got mad people!)

With Krasno, the group is known as Chapter 2. Without him, they improvized and adopted the name Chapter 11. Pretty befitting of the times, huh? The moniker got an honest chuckle out of the crowd.

“I will go anywhere on the face of God’s green Earth to play with these guys,” said Loftlin, who also serves as musical director for Brian McKnight and Wayne Brady. “These are my brothers. I grew up playing with these guys and they’re rock stars now.”

Despite being swarmed by a bunch of eager — and comparatively younger — fans after the show, Deitch laughed when I asked how it felt to be a rock star. He said it takes a lot of hard work to get to the point where you’re making music people respect, and for him, that work entails digging through piles and piles of vinyl funk records. Most of the influences come from the 60s and 70s, and Deitch said he’s studied artists like The Meters, Tower of Power, Cold Blood, and Herbie Hancock until he felt he could truly embody the spirit of the music.

“It’s playing along with the records not just once and saying ‘OK, I know that,’ but coming back to it, maybe even years later,” said Deitch, who has risen to prominence with the band Lettuce. “To the kids that missed the funk in the 70s, we’re trying to have them catch that funk like it’s new music, not just ‘that old stuff.’”

If you missed out last night, fear not. Scofield has another session planned for Aug. 12, this time with pianist Dena DeRose’s trio.

Proceeds from the events benefit the Katonah Museum of Art. Admission is $10 for members, $20 for non-members. Adding to the awesomeness? Captain Lawrence beer (straight from Pleasantville!) and wine flow freely for patrons. If it doesn’t rain, plan on picnicing in the museum’s sculpture garden during the concert.

“For some reason things like this can happen up here,” Scofield said of the Shades of Jazz series. “You just have to know who to ask and ask them. There’s an audience for it and that’s why it happens. I hope it just grows and grows.”

Me, too!